As pandemic restrictions wind down, legal executives who left the workforce are relaunching their careers. It’s not always a smooth transition, however.

Women in particular face stigmas from hiring managers, legal observers say, even though their circumstances are far from unusual. The market research firm YouGov found last year that 28% of women with children in their household temporarily or permanently left the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic to be a primary caregiver. That compares to 10% of men.